Church Report: Memorial Lutheran, Houston, TX
Kassie, her mom, and I went to Memorial Lutheran (LCMS) in Houston this morning. Driving into the parking lot, I noticed right away the spaces for visitor parking. Nice touch. We walked in and were greeted immediately by a very friendly woman.
The service began with a procession as the hymn “Christ Sits at God’s Right Hand” was sung. The congregation reverently faced the crucfix. One of the associate pastors presided; the order of service was from LSB, Divine Service, First Setting. We sang “This Is the Feast,” which I am no fan of, but other than that the service was reverently conducted and the people were pious. The presiding minister did not rush through the Verba, chanting slowly and deliberately. Communion was distributed in a manner confessing the doctrine of the real presence. I was at peace.
Unfortunately, the readings were from the Vatican II lectionary, so I missed the traditional lessons and hymns for the last Sunday of the Church Year. But the sermon, by the Senior Pastor, Scott Murray, was excellent. He preached on the resurrection of the body, doing a beautiful job of making it personal (referencing poignantly his own father’s death) yet solidly Biblical.
Their cantor, Janet Muth, played the organ very well, and the choir was well-prepared and sang appropriate liturgical music. The congregation sang well, including an extremely confident participation in the difficult creedal hymn “We All Believe in One True God.” It was a pleasure to worship there. I am almost always disappointed when I go to church on vacation, and today I wasn’t, even if I do have to read the Parable of the Ten Virgins myself later.
Afterward we toured the administrative and school facilities. Newly renovated, the building is stunning. An outstanding parish hall designed for teaching and music, a state-of-the-art kitchen, a youth room perfectly designed, with television screens throughout informing the congregation of coming activities. This is a confessional Lutheran congregation that clearly gets the importance of having attractive, clean facilities designed for teaching and fellowship. I kept repeating to myself, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s church facilities.”
On the way out, I noticed a bunch of parking spots marked “Reserved for seniors.” Classy.
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I visit Memorial every trip I make to Houston. Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to go since their remodeling. Both Pastor Murray and Pastor Day are great preachers, and Pastor Murray in particular is a wonderful Bible class teacher. I have sung with (and for) Cantor Muth before, and she is an excellent teacher. I hope to be back again next year.
Great to hear you made it to Memorial. Pastor Murray was my vicarage bishop. . . I have to say one of the best pastors and preachers I know. I guess I’m biased, but such a wonderful group of loving people. Again, I’m jealous! How does that go, again?? Oh, yes, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s travels.”
I happen to like “This is the Feast”, especially with brass accompaniment (played by myself, of course).
Pr. Esget,
Memorial and its pastors are quite faithful.
Yet I find it sad and disconcerting that we are forced to evaluate congregations in our confession. Once we get to the point of judging the pastors and liturgies, then we have lost the church, in my opinion. I do it as well. I even promote certain congregations. I believe this betrays a deep sickness in the LCMS.
It is almost a functional Donatism.
+Mason
I don’t think so. We are called upon to test the spirits whether they are true, to take heed to doctrine, and confess the faith.
When we examine a congregation according to its doctrine and practice, we are judging whether they confess Christ and Him crucified. It is tragic, to be sure. But that isn’t donatism. In donatism the point is that the validity of the sacraments of traditores is questioned. The doctrine that was being taught was never an issue.
So if one goes to a church and they are not holding to the catholic faith, we call the thing what it is. If we did otherwise, we would not be Christians. This is ESPECIALLY true for pastors, who have an obligation to direct their sheep to green pastures and the still waters.
-Peperkorn
Fr. Peperkorn,
The point I raised was intended to call attention to a deep sickness in our confession.
I used “functional donatism” to be inflammatory and hyperbolic. It would be impossible to deem the issue then and now to be equivalent. The issue then, however, moved beyond the validity of the sacraments to the nature of the catholic faith. The “church” question remains important, yet elusive for our confession, IMO.
I think of St. Augustine’s mockery of the Donatists. I paraphrase: “The catholic church is thundering throughout the world and the donatist frogs croak in their lonely marsh, ‘We are the true church.’” I often feel that this is an apt description of many denominations. Let the hearer understand.
Anyway, the phrase “functional donatism” is apt for our tendency to define the purity of the church according to criteria not shared by our larger synodical confession. If form is reduced to aesthetic preference and the purity of doctrinal content is all that truly matters, then we should be just as satisfied with Water’s Edge in Frisco as we are with Memorial. After all, we hold to the same doctrine.
Now I don’t believe such distinctions for a second. Hence the deep sickness in our confession.
+Mason
Pr. Esget,
Thank you for the kind words. I apologize that I was not in the chancel the morning you visited and didn’t get much time to visit with you about the work of the school. Hopefully you will visit again and we can have more time.
I pray that the Lord will continue to bless your among the people you serve.
Peace,
PD
You are entirely right, of course, Mason. I hadn’t thought of it before as a kind of Donatism, but I suppose it is, or at least approaches that.